Child safety seats, sometimes called child restraint systems (CRS), are legally required in many countries, including the United States, to more safely transport infants and young children inside vehicles. Conventional child restraint systems generally include multiple-pieces and tend to be heavy. Moreover, several preferred features may present structural weakness or weak points that can compromise a child's safety due to moving parts and other mechanisms that can introduce weakness/weak points to the CRS. In summary, the bulk and weight of existing CRS can impede their effective employment by parents; the moving parts of existing CRS are prone to failure and subsequent injury of the occupant; existing CRS provide little or no protection to the head and thoracic areas of the occupant in the event of a rolling or inversion accident; and, existing CRS have both ergonomic and aesthetic limitations that negatively affect use by parents.
Accordingly, there is a need to further develop a lighter, portable child seat that offers improved safety for the infant occupant, and improved ergonomics and utility for the parents.